Examine How Government Policies and Laws May Affect the Nature and Extent of Family Diversity?

The Divorce Reform Act was introduced in 1969, this allowed couples to separate without having to prove their partner guilty. This Act has increased the divorce rate from 3668 in 1931 to 132,562 in 2006, it has also lead to family diversity e.g. lone-parent hood, cohabitation. This therefore shows the importance of family diversity.

The New Right would not support the Divorce Reform Act because they believe that this is a threat to society, because most lone-parent families are lead by women, without a male figure/ model there would be no discipline, so therefore they discourage the nature of family diversity.

Civil Partnership Act was introduced in 2005. This allowed homosexual couples to marry and have the same rights as heterosexual couples. This law has lead to the encouragement of family diversity, as Post Modernists would agree that society has changes, it is no longer as traditional as it used to be, it has more choice e.g can have a gay/ lesbian relationship.

However Functionalist Murdock would argue that society is still traditional and that the nuclear family is 'universal' it is found in all societies so therefore would disagree with the government and policies that affect the nature and extent of family diversity.

The Child Support Act was introduced in 1993 , making divorced fathers give money for the well-being of his child, supporting lone-parents. Sharpe would agree that people see the benefits of being a lone-parent, so therefore making divorce more 'normal'. Therefore making The Child Support Act have an affect on the nature and extent of family diversity as more couples live without their partners.

However The New Right would argue that the family should stay together no matter what, and they shouldn't divorce in order to strengthen the family and society. They also believe that divorcing is a threat to the stabilisation of the society and therefore would discourage lone-parenting and other forms of family diversity, and do...